June was the biggest ‘foodie’ month in the calendar and here at Live to Eat we discovered some great new products and events to celebrate the English summer months. London was obviously a hotbed of events and included a new addition – ‘The Kensington Night Market’, where top chefs demonstrated their skills and ‘popped-up’ their restaurants for all to taste.

Angela Hartnell was very much at the centre of this event, but there were wonderful visiting chefs such as Massimo Bottura, chef patron of the three-Michelin starred restaurant, Osteria Francescana, based in Modena, Italy.

More exciting entertainment came in the form of top DJ’s beating out their sounds, and there was even an open air cinema. Be sure to get to this event next year, in our opinion, it was one of the best foodie events in the UK.

So what have you been eating in June? Hopefully you have taken advantage of our wonderful home-grown summer produce such as Jersey Royals, and delicious English strawberries (you can’t beat them as opposed to imports). Jersey Royals are delicious when dressed with our very own Verjus, a few herbs such as parsley and mint, and a little butter to add the ‘yum’ factor. Strawberries are wonderful straight up, but of course, don’t forget a strawberry cheesecake or a mousse or smoothie to take full advantage of a whole punnet before they start to go too soft. Here is a really simple and delicious recipe for one of our favourite cheesecakes.

Really Easy Strawberry Cheesecake

Serves: 10

Preparation Time: 5 hours including refrigeration

Ingredients:

100g melted butter

150g crushed digestive biscuits

400g lighter soft cream cheese

450g punnet fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

200ml double cream, thickly beaten

1tsp vanilla extract

75g caster sugar

Juice of ½ a lemon

Method:

Use a lined 20cm springform tin (cut a circle for the bottom and run a strip around the inside).

Make sure your biscuit crumbs are fully broken down then mix with the melted butter and press down into the tin. Place in the fridge and chill for at least half an hour or until you are ready to fill.

Prepare the strawberries to the size you want, either sliced or halved – only use half of the punnet and leave the rest for decoration.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth, then add the double cream and thoroughly mix.

Spoon or pour a little of the filling mixture over the crumb base and some sliced or pieces of strawberries. Add remaining filling, cover gently with film and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, cut the rest of the berries however you want to make the cheesecake look pretty on the top. When ready to serve, release the springform tin and slide the cheesecake onto a plate.

The cheesecake benefits from refrigeration, so make sure you leave chill for at least 4 hours before serving, straight from the fridge.

‘New kids on the block’ – great new products for the summer

Summer is the time for garden and patio dining, a time to bring out your secret weapons from the kitchen that turn an impromptu outdoor meal into a delicious feast. Bring out the pickles, either homemade or shop bought, but try to take advantage of some of the new innovations we found this summer, if you are going the supermarket route.

Here are some of our tasty discoveries:

The Foraging Fox Beetroot Ketchup is a delightful alternative to standard ketchup, and can be used with almost anything. Slap it on your burgers, fish or veggie dishes for a distinctive taste, that doesn’t have the ‘earthiness’ that beetroot can be guilty of.

If you enjoy the flavours of the Caribbean, try Meat Lust Jerk Sauce and liven up your meat and griddled vegetables with this perfectly balanced sweet and savoury sauce. It has a chilli kick and a dash of rum, both subtle enough to tickle your tastebuds but not leave your tongue stinging!

If it’s a hot day but you still want a little ‘freshener’ of alcohol, what better way than to try Pops Popsicles. Flavours range from champagne to vodka and watermelon, all deliciously refreshing, but one of our favourites is ‘Frose’, a great mix of rose wine and raspberries, a real hint of summer and not too sweet.

All of the above products will put a zing into your summer dining and are available at major supermarkets throughout the UK.